Safe And Sound
by fantasticxfoursome
Summary: <html><head></head>Dan gets bullied in school for being gay and gets beat up constantly by Chris Kendall's 'gang'. It wasn't until one day when Dan escapes from the boys and finds himself in the English classroom, and he's surprised when he finds help from Mr. Lester, the English teacher.</html>
1. Chapter 1

It's happening again. Dan's bullies at school are after him.

It's been a couple of days and Dan thought they'd forgotten about him, clearly not.

"Get back here, Howell!" He heard one of the boys yell.

School had just ended. It was a Friday and Dan wasn't quite sure why these three boys would rather by spending their weekend chasing him down when they could just... be getting drunk or something? Which is what most of the kids in this school did on the weekends. But, this happened a lot though. So, Dan was kind of used to it by now.

Dan thought he'd escape them though. He had been hiding in the bathroom, waiting for the clear that he could actually walk out of the school without being yelled at or things being thrown at him or getting beat up. Dan had took one step out of the bathroom before he was thrown back in. They managed a few punches but luckily, Dan was able to get away after that.

Dan nervously stopped in the middle of the hallway. He nervously looked around at the different classrooms. Surely the teachers would have gone home by now? Dan quickly ran into the English classroom, the classroom in which Mr. Lester taught. English was his favorite subject and Mr. Lester happened to be his favorite teacher, though he never said anything.

Dan was known as the quiet kid who never said anything to anybody. He had never had any friends because of this but Dan hated half the kids in this school anyways so he was perfectly fine with just being alone by himself. He much preferred it that way.

Dan quickly ran into the English classroom and then he closed the door immediately, locking it afterwards. Dan peered through the window, breathing heavily as he did so.

"Mr. Howell?" Dan jumped as soon as he heard a voice speak up.

Dan nervously looked over and froze when he saw that Mr. Lester was sitting at his desk.

"Can I help you? Shouldn't you be on your way home?" Mr. Lester asked.

"I-I-" Dan began. He turned and looked at him. "Wh-Why aren't you going home?"

"Because I'm a teacher and I have tests to grade before I go home, that's why," Mr. Lester replied. He looked up at Dan and his eyes went wide when he saw all the bruises on Dan's face. "What happened to you?" He asked curiously as he stood up from his chair.

Dan stared at him with wide eyes. He went to turn around to run out but he was having trouble with unlocking the door. "Stupid fucking door," he mumbled.

Mr. Lester walked over to Dan and gently grabbed him.

Dan looked up at him as his eyes began to water up. "P-Please don't hurt me," he whispered.

"I would never hurt you," Phil whispered. He shook his head.

"I-I just want to go home," Dan mumbled as he backed away from Mr. Lester.

"And why can't you?" Mr. Lester asked as he stared at Dan.

"It's complicated," Dan said as he looked down at his hands.

"Why don't you tell me about it while I help you clean up?" Mr. Lester suggested.

Dan looked up at Mr. Lester and frowned. "Why are you helping me, Mr. Lester?"

"Because you're one of my students, and I want to help you," Mr. Lester said.

"Oh... okay," Dan said. He took a deep breath.

"You go sit down and I'll get the first aid-kit," Mr. Lester said.

Dan nodded. He walked over to his desk that he usually sat in and sat down. He nervously looked around the classroom for a few seconds. It was weird being in school when there were no other students, but Dan quite liked it. It was much peaceful this way.

"Here we are," Mr. Lester said as he put the first aid-kit on Dan's desk. He walked over and grabbed his chair and pulled it over to where Dan was. "So, how did you get that?"

"Do you really want to know, Mr. Lester?" Dan asked as he looked up at him.

"Please, call me Phil... we're not in class anymore," Mr. Lester, 'Phil', said.

"Phil?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Okay then..."

"And yes, I really do want to know," Phil quickly added.

Dan let out a sigh. "It's only been a couple months since high school has started. Everything started out fine but there was this rumor that started floating around..."

"That you were gay?" Phil asked, cutting Dan off.

"How did you know about that?" Dan asked nervously.

"I can keep up with the gossip in this school," Phil told him. He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out some paper towels. "Anyways, continue on." He said.

Dan rolled his eyes. "The rumor is true... I am gay. But, I've never told any of the students that here so I don't know how they found out. Well, after that rumor started around... these three boys... Chris Kendall, PJ Liguori and Luke Cutforth-" Dan looked up when Phil stood up.

"Keep talking," Phil said as he walked over to the sink in the classroom.

Dan sighed. "They started picking on me but then it got worse. They've been torturing me for months because of that rumor. They're very homophobic, I've learnt that by now... so today, was just like any other regular day for me. They caught me in the bathroom and punched me a few times. That's why I ran in here b-because I wanted to get away." He explained.

"That's horrible. Why haven't you said anything to the principal?" Phil asked as he walked back over to Dan. He sat down in his chair and scooted closer to Dan.

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody cares about me around here," he mumbled.

Phil frowned as he stared at Dan a few seconds. "I care about you," he whispered.

Dan immediately looked up at Phil but remained silent.

"This might sting a little," Phil said as he held up a paper towel that was now wet. Phil reached over and gently put the paper towel on Dan's now black eye.

Dan gasped and quickly looked away. "Ow," he whined as he held onto his eye.

"I told you it might sting," Phil told him. He chuckled.

Dan looked over at Phil and took a deep breath. "Why are you helping me?" He asked.

"I told you... you're my student and I care about you," Phil said as he gently put the paper towel on Dan's eye and held it there. "Do you not believe me?" He asked.

"I don't know... it's just weird. You've never spoken to me outside of class before," Dan said.

"I've tried before... trust me. You've just never given me a chance," Phil said.

Dan sighed. "I have a very hard time trusting people," he whispered.

"I can totally understand that. You must have been through so much," Phil nodded.

"You have no idea what I've been through," Dan mumbled. He sighed slightly.

A half an hour later; Dan was finally cleaned up. He was amazed at how well Phil helped him and it was like he had never been punched. Dan was thankful for Phil and what he did.

"Why don't I give you a ride home?" Phil asked as he walked Dan over to the door.

"You don't have to do that, you've already done so much for me." Dan said as he opened the door. He looked at Phil. Though, he would love to ride home with Phil... he was very hesitant about it. Dan knew that Phil was still his teacher and it would look very odd if someone saw him with his teacher outside of school. But, Dan liked being with Phil. He felt safe.

"I know I don't have to but... I want to." Phil said, giving Dan a smile.

Dan also smiled. "Okay... yeah. I'd love a ride home," he said.

"Perfect," Phil said. "Lead the way." He smiled as he watched Dan walk out of the classroom.

Dan and Phil started walking out of the school. Once they were outside, Dan looked up and froze as soon as he saw the three boys outside. It's like they were waiting for them.

Phil looked over at Dan and frowned when he saw the look on his face. "Dan?" He asked.

Dan went to back up. He knew the boys had seen him and they were going to try to get him again and Dan was scared. He was absolutely scared of what they were going to do.

Phil looked over and glared as soon as he saw the three boys staring at Dan. "Come on. I'll take you home," Phil whispered. He grabbed a hold of Dan and led the way over to his car, and suddenly... Dan was feeling safe again. When he was with Phil, he felt safe.

"Thank you... Phil," Dan whispered as he looked up at Phil.

Phil looked over at Dan. "I already told you... you don't have to thank me," he said.

"I know I don't have to but... I want to." Dan said, mocking Phil.

Phil laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. "Ha ha. Very funny. But seriously... you don't need to thank me. I'm glad I could help. Just... come to me if those boys give you trouble again."

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Dan said. He looked up at Phil and smiled.

"I'll be waiting." Phil replied. He smiled when he saw Dan blushing.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a few months now since Phil had started helping Dan get away from the three boys who had been tormenting Dan for the past months;

Dan's life had been much easier ever since he had been going to Phil for help. Phil was always there for Dan and wouldn't let anyone touch him. Dan was thankful for Phil that he was going out of his way to keep him safe. Nobody else had done this for him before.

But now... Dan was having trouble being around Phil without having feelings for him. He knew that having feelings for his teacher was wrong. It was so wrong... in so many ways. Dan couldn't help but fall in love with him though. He didn't even feel like he was his teacher anymore. It was like he was his best friend. Dan wanted him to be more than a best friend though. Dan felt so wrong thinking about his teacher this way. Dan was only 16-years-old... and he knew that Phil was 23-years-old. So much older than him. It was so wrong in so many ways... but it felt right to him.

"Class dismissed!" Phil called as soon as the bell rang.

It was a Thursday afternoon and it was the last period of the day.

Dan didn't move from his seat even though he heard Phil's voice, and he knew that it was time to go home. He just sat there and stared at the chalkboard in front of him. He'd been like this most of the class period. He hadn't been able to focus all day, and he knew exactly.

"Uh, Dan?" Phil asked as he walked over to Dan's desk.

Dan blinked a few times and finally looked up at Phil. "What?" He asked quietly.

"Are you alright? We've been zoned out for most of the class today," Phil said.

"I guess I just have a lot on my mind," Dan mumbled. He stood up from his seat and grabbed his books. "Um... you don't have to take me home today."

"What? Aren't you worried about those boys?" Phil asked.

"I'm gonna have to stand up for myself some day, aren't I?" Dan asked.

"What's going on with you? All I want to do is help and lately... you've been pushing me away. I don't like that," Phil said. He took a deep breath as he stared at Dan. Phil walked over to the door and shut it, locking it afterwards... just in case. Phil looked back over at Dan.

"I can't tell you... no matter how much I want to," Dan whispered.

Phil frowned. "Why can't you tell me?" He asked as he walked back over to Dan.

"I-I don't want to get you in trouble," Dan said quietly.

"How on Earth would you get me in trouble?" Phil asked curiously. He sat down on one of the desks, not taking his eyes away from Dan. "Come on, Dan... Talk."

Dan took a deep breath. "I-I shouldn't say it out loud," he said.

"It can't be that bad," Phil said, rolling his eyes.

"No... it is bad. I'm pretty sure it's illegal," Dan quickly said.

"I'm not going to judge you... no matter what it is," Phil assured Dan.

"I like you," Dan said. He nervously looked up at Phil.

"Well... thanks. I like you too," Phil said. He smiled.

Dan rolled his eyes. "No! Fuck... not like that. I really, _really_ like you! Like... I like you as in... I want you to be my boyfriend but you can't be my boyfriend because you're my bloody teacher!" He yelled as he threw his free arm up in the air. He let out a sigh, feeling relieved to get that off of his chest but also feeling nervous because he didn't know how Phil was going to react to the news. Would Phil hate him? Would he never want to talk to him again?

Phli's eyes went wide with shock as he stared at Dan. "Wh-What?" Phil asked.

"Please don't make me say it again," Dan begged.

"Dan, you can't like me like that. I'm your teacher," Phil hissed.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you! I know you're my teacher!" Dan hissed back at him.

Phil sighed and shook his head. He sat down in the chair next to Dan and hid his face in his hands. "God damnit, this is going to ruin everything." Phil mumbled.

"I didn't say you had to like me back," Dan whispered.

Phil looked up at Dan. "That doesn't matter, do you understand this situation Dan? Clearly you like me and now that I know this... things are going to be awkward between us. God, if anyone finds out about this..." He began to say, panic clearly written on his face.

"No one will find out. I don't trust anyone in this school to even tell them that I have a crush on you," Dan said. He let out a sigh and then he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Phil asked as he looked up at Dan.

"Well, clearly I've ruined things between us so I'm just going to go," Dan said.

"You don't even want to talk about it?" Phil asked, also standing up.

"There's nothing to talk about! I have a crush on you. I like you as more than a friend! That's all there is to it. You don't have to like me back," He said.

"But I don't want this to ruin the friendship we have," Phil whispered.

Dan took a deep breath as he stared at Phil, his eyes beginning to water up. "No, I don't know if I'll be able to think of you as a friend anymore," He whispered before he finally turned around and then he walked out of the classroom, leaving Phil speechless. Dan immediately started to walk out of the school but he stopped when he heard footsteps. He nervously turned around and froze when he saw Chris and Ben. "W-Were you waiting for me?" Dan asked.

"We know you stay in that classroom with Mr. Lester after class," Chris said.

Dan looked around and was surprised when he didn't see PJ anywhere. "Aren't you missing a third person? Where's PJ?" He asked curiously.

"He's sick so he's not coming to school for a while," Chris snapped.

Dan raised his eyebrows. "I don't know about you but I have more important things to do with my time. So, go find someone else to beat up," he snapped.

"Don't speak to me like that," Chris grabbed Dan's arm and pulled him back when he started to walk away. "You should know better," He growled.

Dan turned around and he harshly punched Chris square in the face. His eyes went wide as he watched Chris drop to the floor. Dan had never ever punched anyone ever like that, but he was tired of being pushed around by these bullies. It was about time he stood up for himself.

"Chris!" Ben yelled with shock. He bent down next to him and looked up at Dan, so did Chris.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Chris yelled as he grabbed his jaw.

"Doesn't feel very good, does it?. Maybe next time you'll think before you beat up someone innocent. I'm not going to be used as your punching bag anymore," Dan snapped. He turned around and walked away without saying another word, feeling quite proud of himself.

Phil was standing not that far away, quite shocked but proud of Dan. He never thought that Dan would stand up for himself like that, he was proved wrong.

"You did deserve that, you know?" Phil said, smirking.

Both Chris and Ben looked up at him, but he walked away before they could say anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Dan didn't come to school for a couple of days, and Phil was worried about him. He felt bad for how he reacted when Dan told him that he was in love with him, and he wished that he would have reacted in a different way... and now he needed to apologize to Dan.

Dan didn't come back to school until Friday. He took a whole week off, but he didn't care... he didn't care really. His parents let him, so he stayed at home for a couple of days after telling his parents that he wasn't feeling good. Luckily, they believed him.

Phil sighed as he sat down in his chair at his desk. It was Friday, and he couldn't be more glad that it was the weekend now. He just wanted to go home and relax for a little bit. Students were finally starting to file into the classroom. Phil glanced over and was surprised when he saw Dan walk into the classroom, it had been a couple of day since he's seen him.

"Howell-" Phil bit his lip when Dan looked at him. "May I have a few words please?"

Dan sighed and then he walked over to Phil's desk. "What?" He asked.

"Where've you been? You've been absent all week," Phil hissed.

"I wasn't feeling well," Dan mumbled. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Phil asked quietly.

"It doesn't matter why I wasn't at school, alright?" Dan snapped.

Phil blinked a few times, a little taken back at Dan's attitude. Dan had never spoken to him like that before and it surprised Phil a little. "Um, does this have something to do with what you told me last Thursday? Dan, we need to talk..." Phil said.

"No, we have absolutely nothing to talk about. Can I go sit down now?" Dan asked.

"I need to give you all the homework that you missed. Visit me after class please?" Phil asked hopefully. He desperately wanted to talk to Dan, and patch things up with him. Dan had become an important person in his life, and he didn't want to lose his friendship with him. It would break Phil's heart.

"Fine," Dan whispered before he turned around and walked over to his seat.

"Where have you been, Howell?" Dan sighed as he looked over, and then he rolled his eyes as soon as he saw that it was Chris who had spoken to him.

"I was ill," Dan mumbled as he sat in his seat.

"For a whole week? I doubt it," Chris scoffed.

"Look, why do you care if I was at school or not?" Dan snapped, glaring at him. "Just fuck off."

"Someone's in a mood today-" Chris said. He laughed.

"I punched you once, I'm not afraid to do it again," Dan hissed.

"Kendall, that's enough! Do I need to send you to the principal's office this early? Class hasn't even started," Phil said, glaring at Chris. He knew that Dan probably wouldn't want his help, but he didn't care. He still very much so cared about Dan, and wanted to keep him safe.

Chris rolled his eyes. "What-the fuck-ever. I hate this stupid class anyways," He grumbled, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms against his chest.

"Watch your language," Phil warned. He sighed and shook his head.

Dan looked over at Phil and took a deep breath, but remained silent.

"Do you have my homework then?" Dan asked as he walked into Phil's classroom.

Phil looked over and bit his lip when he saw Dan. "Oh, um... yeah," He replied.

It was the end of the day and Dan was getting to Phil's classroom, remembering that he needed to get the homework that he had missed for the entire week.

"Can you shut the door please?" Phil asked calmly.

"Fine," Dan said. He was too tired today to argue with Phil, and he just wanted to get home really. He reached over and shut the door. He sat his bag on his desk and then he walked over to Phil. "I can't stay long. Mum wants me home... she thinks I'm still sick."

"Figures you weren't actually sick," Phil mumbled as he opened the drawer in his desk. "You missed school because you didn't want to see me?" He asked, pulling out a folder that had Dan's name on it. He looked up at Phil, sighing.

"What else was I suppose to do, Phil?" Dan asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

"I care about you Dan, okay?" Phil said, looking up at Dan.

"Just not in the way I care about you. Yeah, I get it, okay?" Dan mumbled.

Phil sighed as he stood up from his chair. "That's not it," He said.

"So, you do care about me like that?" Dan asked, blinking a few times.

"Indeed. But Dan, you are my student. This is illegal. I could go to jail," Phil told him.

"Nobody has to find out about it," Dan whispered. "I can't hide my feelings for you."

"We're just going to have to figure something out then, alright?" Phil said calmly.

"I don't want to have to figure anything out!" Dan yelled, taking a deep breath. "Can I just have my homework so I can go home?" He asked, looking away from Phil. He felt like crying, and crying in front of his teacher was the last thing that he wanted to do really.

"Fine, whatever. Here-" Phil said, handing the folder to Dan. He had actually wanted to talk to Dan, but clearly Dan didn't want to talk to him. "I'll give you a week, Dan. Turn it in by Friday or else it'll count as missing. You know the rules for late homework."

"Whatever..." Dan said as he took the folder. He turned around and started walking towards the door. He gasped when he felt Phil grab his arm. "Phil, let-" Dan's eyes went wide when Phil pinned him against the wall. "Wh-What are you d-doing?" He asked.

"Christ, I can't believe I'm actually about to do this... and I'm so going to get fired for this," Phil whispered before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Dan's, holding onto his hands as he kept Dan pinned against the wall.

"Oh, Phil-" Dan moaned into the kiss. He closed his eyes as he kissed Phil back. He'd been imagining what it would be like to kiss Phil for weeks, and now it was actually happening to him. Dan snaked his arms around Phil's neck while they continued to kiss.

Phil pulled away from the kiss a few seconds later, taking deep breaths as he stared at Dan, smiling as he did so. "You're a really great kisser," He whispered.

"Thanks... I take pride in that," Dan said. He blushed lightly.

"We can make this work," Phil whispered, resting his forehead against Dan's.

"Are you serious, Phil? I-I actually really don't want to get you in trouble or anything," Dan said.

Phil shook his head. "Don't worry about me, okay? What matters right now is us,"

Dan couldn't help but smile. "I can't believe you'd actually risk losing your job to be with me,"

"I told you that I'd do anything for you... didn't I?" Phil asked, smirking slightly.

"Yeah... I guess you did," Dan said. He laughed.

"Do you still have to be home?" Phil asked, still keeping a hold of Dan.

"Doesn't matter really... just as long as I'm not home too late," Dan told him.

"I'll have you home before 5pm then," Phil said.

Dan laughed and then he wrapped his arms around Phil and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes as he rested his head on Phil's chest.

Dan didn't really care about anything else in the world... he just cared about Phil.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mum, I'm going to go out!" Dan called as he ran down the stairs.

"Uh, where are you going mister?" Diane Howell asked as she walked out of the lounge.

Dan looked up and sighed when he saw his mother. "Um, just going for a walk," he said.

"You never go for walks," Diane said, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Aren't you the one who said that I should go out more? It's a Saturday mum," Dan said.

"I guess I did say that. Don't be out too late," Diane warned.

Dan smiled. "I won't!" He yelled before he ran out the door.

It's been three months since Dan and Phil started dating properly. Dan was totally and completely in love with Phil, even though they hadn't been together that long. But, the more he hung out with Phil, the more he fell in love with him. They were together every weekend, and they spent most of their time at Phil's house until Dan had to go home. It was frustrating sometimes, but it all worked out when they were finally together, even for a while.

"Hey you," Phil whispered as he pulled Dan into a hug, letting Phil into his house. He reached over and shut the door, keeping an arm wrapped around him. "I missed you."

"Sorry I'm late," Dan mumbled as he hid his face in Phil's chest, sighing softly. "Mum started pounding me with stupid questions but luckily I got out before it got bad."

"She hasn't suspected anything yet, has she?" Phil asked, looking down at Dan.

"Not yet. I think if she saw us together... then she would but, she hasn't," Dan said. He looked up at Phil and smiled. "I can just tell her that I'm going to see a friend that I finally made."

"As long as it's not another boy, I'll be fine," Phil joked.

Dan laughed and hit his chest playfully. "Please, it's not like another boy would dare to look at me," He mumbled, wrapping his arms around Phil. "I don't even know how I got you."

"Clearly you got someone's attention if you were being chased by three boys every day after school for months," Phil said, looking down at Dan. He frowned as he stared at Dan.

"Yeah, but they were chasing me because they wanted to make my life miserable," Dan said.

"This is getting depressing. Let's go sit down, okay?" Phil suggested. He grabbed Dan's hand and then they walked to the living room. Dan followed Phil and then he sat down next to him on the couch. "I wish I could take you out and do something nice-" Phil sighed.

"I don't need you to do something nice for me. I'm happy being here with you," Dan told him.

"But, we've been dating for three months and we haven't even gone on our first date yet,"

"That's because there's a possibility someone will see us together, and we don't want that. I honestly don't mind hiding our relationship... if it means I get to be with you," Dan said.

"You're 16-years-old Dan... you shouldn't have to hide your first relationship. You should be able to go out whenever you want without worrying about being caught," Phil snapped.

Dan blinked a few times as he looked away from Phil, biting his lip slightly as his eyes began to water up. He knew that Phil was right, he just didn't want to admit out loud.

"Dan?" Phil asked, grabbing his arm and holding onto it. "Baby, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"No, you're right. I should be able to have a normal relationship with another boy my age, who isn't my teacher. But, I don't want that. I want you, okay?" Dan whispered. He took a deep breath as he looked up at Phil again. "Please, don't leave me. I need you."

"I would never ever dream of leaving you," Phil whispered. He gently wrapped his arms around Dan and pulled him into a hug, keeping him close and not daring to let him go. He knew that it was his fault that Dan was upset, and he just wanted him to be happy.

Dan immediately snuggled closer to Phil and hid his face in his chest, not wanting Phil to see him cry because he was very close to doing so. Crying in front of Phil was the last thing he wanted to do, as Phil had seen him cry one too many times before.

"Shh, you're fine, alright? You're fine love," Phil cooed, trying to calm his boyfriend down.

"I just don't want to lose you... I can't lose you," Dan whispered.

"You won't lose me okay? Just don't think like that," Phil warned gently.

Dan nervously looked up at Phil, biting his lip softly. "I love you," He whispered.

Phil smiled as he looked back down at Dan. "I love you too," He whispered back.

Dan gently rested his head on Phil's chest again and closed his eyes.

It was a couple hours later when Dan had gotten the call from his mum, telling him to come home, though Dan really just wanted to stay over at Phil's house, not ready to leave yet.

"Mum, can I please stay the night at my friends house?" Dan begged, sighing lightly as he paced back and forth in Phil's kitchen, whilst Phil was sitting at the table.

"Honey, I don't even know this boy," Diane argued.

"He's just someone from school... you always say I need to socialize more, right?" Dan asked.

"You're using that one again, Dan? Really?" Diane asked.

"Please, I'll be home early tomorrow. Just for the night?" Dan begged.

Diane sighed. "I guess it is getting quite late," She said.

"Yes... it's already 9pm," Dan told her. "You won't make me walk home this late, will you?"

"Oh, alright! Fine! You can stay... but you better be home in the morning!" Diane warned.

Dan gasped excitedly. "Thank you so much, mum!" He exclaimed before hanging up on her.

"She actually said yes?" Phil asked, standing up from his chair.

Dan smiled as he looked over at Phil, and nodded. "Yeah... I just gotta tell her that she's always the one who always says that I should socialize with people more."

"I think she meant people your age," Phil said.

Dan frowned. "Do you not want me to stay? Do you not want to be with me?" He asked.

"No, no! I do, I really do want to be with you," Phil said, quickly walking over to Dan.

"Then why do you keep bringing that up?!" Dan yelled angrily. "Who cares about age?"

"We can't just ignore it!" Phil yelled back at him.

"There are couples out there who are 20 years younger or older than the other and they live happily together! Why can't we be like those couples?" Dan asked quietly.

Phil sighed and then he sat back down in the chair. "Can we not argue please?"

"Phil, I understand why you're worried-" Dan walked over to Phil. "But, we're happy together... and that's all that should matter. Yeah, people will probably judge us if they find out we're together but, who cares what other people think?" He asked, grabbing Phil's hands.

"It's not about people judging us... it's the fact that I could literally go to jail if anybody finds out that I'm sleeping with my student," Phil said as he looked up at Dan.

"Um, but we're not sleeping together. We've never even done anything yet," Dan argued.

"Doesn't matter. People are going to think that I'm forcing you into it," Phil mumbled.

"Phil, please... can we not just have one night to ourselves where we don't argue about what other people are going to think of us. It's going to tear us apart," Dan whispered.

Phil bit his lip as he stared at Dan, and then he slowly nodded. "You're right-" He stood back up and wrapped an arm around Dan. "We should enjoy the time we have together."

"Phil, stop that. Nobody is going to get in the way of our relationship," Dan told him.

Phil looked down at Dan. "I guess I just worry too much," He said.

"Yes, you do-" Dan reached up and kissed him gently. "I love you though."

"I'm glad," Phil whispered, before he pulled Dan into another kiss.

"Um... how about we get started on that popcorn you promised me?" Dan asked, quickly letting go of Phil. He was a little hurt that Phil didn't say 'I love you' back. Phil usually always says it back to him, and Dan didn't want things to be awkward between them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Howell!" Dan immediately snapped his head up as soon as he heard a voice call his name.

it was Monday now; Dan was sitting in his English class, waiting for class to start. Phil wasn't in the class yet, which was a surprise because he was always there on time. He was even usually the first one in the class, obviously because he was the teacher.

"What?" Dan asked, looking up from his notebook and looking over at Chris.

"Heard you have a boyfriend," Chris said, leaning back in his chair.

"Where did you hear that from?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I know some people. So, who's the boy?" Chris asked.

Dan scoffed. "I don't have a boyfriend. Who on Earth would date me?" He asked.

Chris shrugged his shoulders. "There was just a lot of talk about you being with an older man or something. I just wanted to know if it was true or not,"

"So what if it was true? Who cares if I'm with an older man or not?" Dan asked angrily.

"Wow. Getting a bit defensive aren't we?" Chris asked, smirking.

"No, I'm getting a bit annoyed. There's a big difference," Dan snapped. "I should be allowed to date whoever I want to. I don't care if other people aren't okay with it. My happiness is the only thing that matters to me, especially after all the shit you and your gang have put me through!"

Chris raised his eyebrows as he stared at Dan, a little surprised.

"What? Don't got anything to say now?" Dan asked, glaring at Chris.

"Whatever dude. I just think that it's wrong to date someone older," Chris said calmly.

"Well quite frankly… I don't give a _fuck_ what you think," Dan grumbled.

"Good morning," Dan immediately looked over when he heard a voice. He frowned as soon as he saw that it wasn't Phil, and it was just another older man.

"Where's Mr. Lester?" One of the students asked.

"Mr. Lester called in sick. He won't be at school for a couple of days, so I'll be your sub. My name is Mr. Roberts. I'm sure we'll get to know a lot about each other these next few days until Mr. Lester does come back. Now let's take attendance, shall we?"

"Fuck," Dan muttered under his breath. He needed to see Phil later, immediately.

As soon as school was finished, Dan went straight to Phil's house. He didn't even stop at home before going to Phil's. Dan had just spoken to Phil the other day and knew he wasn't sick. He just knew that something was going on with Phil and he needed to figure out what it was.

"Phil! Open this damn door, right now!" Dan yelled as he pounded on the door. After he didn't get a response, he pulled out the pair of keys that Phil had given him. He unlocked the door and then he walked into the house. "Phil?!" Dan called as he walked through the house. He finally walked into Phil's bedroom and froze when he saw a peacefully sleeping Phil on the bed. Dan quietly walked over to the bed and then he crawled onto the bed, and crawled over to Phil. "Phil?" He whispered. He shook him a few times, smiling when Phil's eyes fluttered open.

"Dan?" Phil asked tiredly, looking up at him. "What are you doing here?" He yawned.

"School ended. You weren't there today and I got worried… so I came over immediately to make sure you were alright," Dan told him. "Are you really sick?"

Phil shook his head. "I'm behind on grading papers, school work is stressing me out. I just feel like I'm in high school all over again… except it's worse now,"

Dan chuckled. "You could have at least texted me to let me know you were okay," He said.

"I'm sorry love, I promise to call you next time so you don't worry," Phil whispered. He gently wrapped his arms around Dan and pulled him down on top of him, keeping his arms around him. He'd missed Dan, not being at school and everything. So he was happy that Dan was here now.

Dan yelped when Phil pulled him down on top of him, but he couldn't help but smile as he looked down at Phil. "Hi," He whispered. He let out a little giggle.

"Hey," Phil whispered back. He pulled Dan down even further and kissed him.

Dan smiled as he kissed Phil back immediately, his hands going up to Phil's hair and getting tangled in it. "Fuck, I missed you so much today," He said when the kiss ended. "Class wasn't the same without you. Now we have to deal with this old guy who's quite boring and not as fun as you!"

"Believe me, I missed you too," Phil said. He grabbed Dan and then he flipped him over on his back, so that he was now on top of top. "But we're here together now and that's all that matters, right?" He asked with a smile on his face, not taking his eyes away from Dan.

"Phil!" Dan whined, pouting. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Phil laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. "Such a drama queen."

"Hey! Take that back!" Dan exclaimed, hitting Phil playfully on the arm.

"Nope!" Phil leaned down and then he pressed his lips against Dan's and kissed him.

Dan giggled as Phil kissed him, but he relaxed and quickly kissed Phil back. Dan's arm snaked around Phil's neck and pulled him down further, clearly wanting more from Phil. They'd never done anything more than make-out with each other, so this was new territory for them.

Phil finally pulled away from the kiss, taking deep breaths as he stared at Dan. "Dan, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything that you don't want to do, okay?" He began.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Shush! You're not pressuring me into doing anything," He said.

"Are you sure? We've only been dating for three months," Phil whispered.

"So what? I trust you with all my heart and soul. I wouldn't want to lose my virginity to anyone other than you," Dan told him. He looked up at Phil and smiled. "I'll be fine."

Phil sighed in defeat but he couldn't help but smile, because Dan trusted him, and that meant that world for him to hear Dan say that. He loved Dan, and would never hurt him. "Okay-" Phil leaned down again and kissed Dan a few times, before he kissed down to Dan's jawline, and then he finally kissed his way down to Dan's neck and gently started sucking on it.

Dan moaned and he held onto Phil's shoulders. Phil knew that his neck was his sensitive spot and he liked to tease Dan about it. "Fucking- _Phil_!" Dan whined.

Phil smirked as he pulled away from Dan's neck. "Oh I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?"

"No. No! I want more, please," Dan begged. "I just…"

"Your wish is my command," Phil whispered before he leaned down and then he started kissing and sucking at Dan's neck again, making sure to leave little marks there.

For a minute, Dan didn't care about anything else in the world besides Phil; he didn't care that there was a possibility that his parents would see the marks that Phil left on his neck, he didn't care that his parents would probably yell at him later for being late from school. He didn't care because he was with Phil, and when he was with Phil… he was happy, and that's all that mattered to him. Phil was all that mattered to him really, and Phil knew that.

"Daniel, where have you been?" Diane Howell snapped as soon as her son walked in through the door. It was 8pm, and Dan was just getting back from being at Phil's house.

"Nowhere. I was at a friends' house," Dan mumbled as he kicked off his shoes.

"You don't have any friends," Alex, Dan's little brother, said with a smirk.

"Shut your mouth Alex!" Dan yelled angrily.

"Enough boys. You know how I feel about you going somewhere without telling me… we'll talk about this later Dan. Dinner's just been made. Sit at the table and eat with your family," Diane said as she pointed towards the kitchen. She watched as her son walked into the kitchen.

It's been about 10 minutes since everybody's been sat at the kitchen table. Dan hadn't really said anything but he listened as his parents talked about random things that he didn't care about.

"Daniel, what have you done to your neck?" John Howell asked, as soon as he noticed a few red marks on his son's neck. "You didn't have those when you left this morning."

Dan froze as soon as his dad asked him the question. He remembered that he didn't clean himself up after him and Phil had sex earlier, and now his parents were questioning him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," He mumbled, trying his best not to make any eye contact.

"Dan, where were you earlier?" Diane asked, staring at her son.

"I told you… I was with a friend," Dan mumbled.

"He's lying. You know he's lying when he doesn't look at you when he talks," Alex said. He yelped when Dan kicked him from underneath the table. Alex glared at him.

"Shut up Alex," Dan growled. He nervously looked over at his parents.

"Were you with another boy Dan?" Dan's parents knew that he was gay. There was no escaping from this. They were going to find out that he's been with another boy, an older boy. His teacher.

"Answer your mother Daniel," John warned, glaring at Dan.

"Yes! I was with another boy, alright?!" Dan snapped. He sighed.

"And what were you doing with this boy?" Diane asked, watching him carefully.

Dan rolled his eyes as he looked over at his parents. "What's this big deal?" He asked.

"Daniel! You are too young for that!" Diane yelled with shock.

"It was going to happen at one point!" Dan yelled back.

"Um, can I be excused?" Alex asked, looking at his parents.

"Yes," John and Diane said at the same time.

Alex immediately stood up and then he walked out of the kitchen.

"You are in so much trouble," Diane warned as she looked at Dan.

"Who is this boy that you are seeing?" John demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you that," Dan scoffed.

"You will tell us or you'll be grounded," Diane warned.

"So ground me?! It's not like I have a life anyway. No friends, no nothing," Dan mumbled.

"Are you saying you've had sex with a stranger?" Diane asked.

"No!" Dan yelled with shock. "I may be dumb, but I'm not that dumb!"

"Go to your room Daniel. We'll speak about this later. No computer or phone. You will come home from school as soon as its finished. Got it?" John told him. "Go."

Dan sighed as he stood up from the chair he was sitting. He stormed out of the kitchen and then he ran up to his bedroom, slamming his door shut and locking it afterwards.


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't stay after school," Dan said as he walked into Phil's classroom the next day.

Phil looked up from his computer and blinked a few times as he looked up at Dan. Luckily there weren't any students there yet. Dan made sure to get there early.

"Why not?" Phil asked, watching as Dan walked over to his seat.

"Parents saw the bites you left on my neck yesterday and freaked out," Dan told him.

"Shit Dan. I'm sorry. Did they found out I did it?" Phil asked nervously.

Dan shook his head. "No. I wasn't stupid enough to say it was you, they just know that it's a boy from school. But, now I'm grounded so we can't see each other," He said. He pouted.

"How long are you grounded for?" Phil asked, frowning.

"Three weeks. They think I'll go crazy and tell them who I'm seeing by the end of it," Dan said.

"But, you're not going to… are you?" Phil asked nervously.

"No. I'm not going to say anything," Dan said. He shook his head.

"Dan, I hate that you have to lie to your parents like this," Phil said.

"I don't care who I have to lie to in order to be with you, okay?" Dan told him. He looked over and bit his lip when he saw a few students walk in. He prayed that they didn't hear anything.

"Not surprising you're here first Howell," Dan rolled his eyes as soon as he heard Chris's voice.

"Shove off twat," Dan mumbled. He pulled out his notebook and started doodling.

"Please don't make me have to give you a detention this early Kendall," Phil said.

"You can't give me a detention for doing nothing wrong," Chris said as he walked over to his seat and sat down. He looked up at Phil and smirked, crossing his arms against his chest.

"I'm sure I can come up with something," Phil said.

Chris scoffed and shook his head. "Whatever," He mumbled. He sat back in his seat.

Dan bit his lip nervously as he looked over at Phil.

"I'm sorry," Phil mouthed. He went back to what he was doing.

Dan sighed, he knew this was going to be a long day.

xxxx

"I'm home!" Dan yelled as soon as he walked into his house.

"Dan, come to the kitchen!" Diane yelled.

Dan rolled his eyes as he threw his bag onto the ground. He went to the kitchen.

"We need to have a little chat," Diane said as she looked over at Dan.

"Is this about last night?" Dan asked as he jumped onto the counter.

"Dan, I don't like the thought of you sneaking off to see some boy who I've never even met before. I don't know anything about him. Why are you so afraid of telling us who you're dating?"

"Because I love him and I don't want anything to happen to him," Dan told her.

"What could possibly happen to him?" Diane asked curiously as she leaned against the counter, crossing her arms against his chest. "Are you dating an older boy?"

Dan didn't say anything, he just looked down at his hands.

"So, you are dating an older boy. How old are we talking?" Diane asked.

"It doesn't matter. Who cares how old he is?" Dan asked.

"Apparently you do, since you aren't telling us anything. What can you tell me?" She asked.

"I can tell you that I love him, and even though we've only been together three months… he's my world and I'll do anything to protect him, just like I know he'll do the same for me," Dan said.

"Well, until you tell us who this boy is… you're grounded," Diane warned.

"What?" Dan asked as he looked up at his mom. "Dad said three weeks!"

"I'm your mother, Daniel. Go to your room, dinner's in an hour," Diane said calmly.

"I don't want dinner," Dan mumbled before he jumped off the counter.

"No phone or laptop," Diane said as she watched Dan carefully.

"It's like you're trying to ruin my life!" Dan yelled before he stormed out of the kitchen.

xxxx

It was around midnight when Dan was planning on sneaking out, he hadn't heard from Phil since he was at school and it was killing him that he couldn't even text Phil.

Dan bit his lip nervously as he walked to the door. He looked back and waited a few seconds before he opened the door and walked out of the house. Luckily, Phil's house wasn't that far so he could walk there with no problem. Dan would do just about anything to be with Phil.

It took Dan about ten minutes to walk to Phil's house.

"Fucking cold weather," Dan mumbled as he walked up to Phil's house. He knocked on the door a few times. He waited a few minutes before Phil finally opened the door.

Phil looked down and gasped as soon as he saw Dan standing there. "Dan! What on Earth are you doing? You're freezing!" He hissed before he pulled Dan inside and shut the door. "It's past midnight. Are you out of your mind or something?" Phil asked.

"Gee, nice to see you too," Dan mumbled as he took off his coat.

"Of course I'm happy to see you but… why are you here so late?" Phil asked.

"I snuck out. I missed you and I wanted to see you again," Dan mumbled. He walked over to Phil and hugged him tightly. "Mum took my phone and laptop away."

"That's why you weren't answering any of my Skype calls," Phil said as he wrapped his arms around Dan's waist and hugged him. "You're crazy to sneak out of the house like this. It's nearly winter and the weather is getting cold. You could get sick Dan."

"I told you I would do anything to be with you," Dan said as he looked up at Phil.

Phil chuckled and then he kissed Dan gently. "We saw each other this morning, doofus,"

"Don't call me a doofus!" Dan giggled. "This morning was too long ago."

"Yeah, I guess so. Come on, let's go to the bedroom and get warm," Phil said.

"Okay," Dan said. He grabbed Phil's hands and followed as Phil led the way to the bedroom.

"I still cannot believe you snuck out. What if your parent's notice your gone?" Phil asked as he sat down on the bed. "I don't want you to get in anymore trouble."

"Mum and dad are dead asleep. They always go to sleep early as they wake up early," Dan said as he plopped down next to Phil. "I just wanted to see you for a few hours, is all."

"It's a good thing I finished all my work earlier then, huh?" Phil asked. He grabbed Dan and pulled him closer. He kissed him a few times, smiling as he did so.

Dan giggled, and then he wrapped his arms around Dan and held onto him as they kissed.

Phil gently lay Dan down on his back, smiling as he did so.

"Phil," Dan laughed as he pulled away from the kiss and looked up at Phil. "Don't leave anymore marks on me, I really don't need to get in anymore trouble than I already am."

Phil groaned and buried his head on Dan's chest. "Fine," He mumbled.

Dan smiled as he looked down at Phil. "You're adorable," He said.

"Shut up. I'm not adorable," Phil claimed, closing his eyes.

"Yes you are, whether you like it or not. You are adorable," Dan said.

"If I'm adorable then what does that make you?" Phil asked, looking up at Dan.

"That makes me the boyfriend of the adorable Phil Lester," Dan said. He laughed.

"Alright, I guess I can live with that," Phil said with a smile.


End file.
